CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Lincoln Park
Chicago, IL
July 2020

Milkweed by Paul Sager, on Flickr


Milkweeds are a family of perennial, flowering plants, named for their latex, a milky substance containing cardiac glycosides termed cardenolides. Most species are toxic to humans and many other species, primarily due to the presence of these cardenolides, although, as with many such plants, there are species that feed upon them (i.e. leaves) and from them (i.e. nectar). The genus contains over 200 species distributed broadly across Africa, North America, and South America.

Milkweed


American milkweeds are an important nectar source for native bees, wasps, and other nectar-seeking insects. Milkweeds are also the larval food source for monarch butterflies.

Milkweed and visitor


Milkweed is a popular plant among gardeners as it attracts butterflies. Milkweed sap can be very irritating to the skin but is also very dangerous if it gets in your eyes. Many peoples of South America and Africa used arrows poisoned with Milkweed sap to fight and hunt more effectively.

Milkweed and visitor


Milkweed is not grown commercially in large scale, but the plant has had many uses throughout human history. Milkweed can be made edible if properly processed. Native Americans used it for everything from a diarrheic, relief from sore throats, it was chewed for swelling and rashes, new mothers that could not produce milk would drink it, it was used to treat colic, it was used to expel tapeworms, it was used to cure snakebite and for a contraceptive.

Milkweed and visitor


Most animals won’t eat it because of the taste rather than the danger of toxins. Animals usually do not eat milkweed unless good forage is scarce.

In 1818, when Abraham Lincoln was 9 years old, his mother, Nancy Hanks, died of milkweed poisoning. Milkweed poisoning was a little-understood malady caused by a plant called "snakeroot" eaten by cows and transmitted through dairy products and meat. Its human victims died in slow agony.

Milkweed and visitor


Images shown in this post use a Canon FD 200mm f/4 macro, a manual focus lens from the 1980s. Using a Metabones FD to E adapter, the lens was mounted to a Sony a7II mirrorless digital body. Although the Sony body features 5-axis image stabilization, the camera / lens were mounted to a tripod via a ball head. The image files were processed using Lightroom v6 and Topaz DeNoise v6.

Milkweed and visitor


Adult monarchs will only lay eggs on milkweed and the plant is the sole food source for monarch caterpillar larvae. The plant also offers protection: caterpillars ingest a toxic steroid from milkweed that’s distasteful to predators like birds or mice.

Milkweed and visitor


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mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

Love your photos and the milkweed info! Thank you for sharing both.

maggiemae Loc: North Carolina

Great shots. I love the detail on the first one.

photophile Loc: Lakewood, Ohio, USA

Great close ups Paul!

phlash46 Loc: Westchester County, New York

Fantastic!

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Thank you mizzee, Megan, Karin, Bruce! It seems I hear about milkweed more than one sees or knows anything about it. I knew it was toxic and heard the story of Lincoln's mother before, so I was a bit shocked by the heavy traffic of some local milkweed of insects other than Monarchs. Thank you for your kind comments.

Bob Mevis Loc: Plymouth, Indiana

Excellent shots.

merrytexan Loc: georgia

Thank you for the education on milkweed, paul. Beautiful shots.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Thank you Bob, merrytexan! I've learned a bit more about butterflies too in the field where this milkweed resides. I guess since the Monarchs taste bad, they feel free to hassle the birds in the area and all the other butterflies, especially the swallowtails.

newtoyou Loc: Eastport

A milkweed primer. Thank you.
Two or three small points.
While adults feed at all milkweeds, the larva may eat others, but there is a preference for common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca.
An old wives tale was that it cured snakebite. No. It may be that a snakebite victim ate milkweed and survived, but it was coincidence.
I am not sure, but I believe that the nectar is free from alkaloids.
Why?
Too many bees and other insects feed on the nectar.
Bees, in particular, are picky about their nectar source.
None of the nectar feeders seem distasteful to birds, except the ones that feed upon the plant, too.
Fine fotos.
Thank you.
Bill

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Great close-in photos and some interesting information.

I had an older relative who believed that the sap of milkweed would cure warts.

docshark Loc: Millersville, PA

Thanks for a great set Paul. Every shot, super sharp. I enjoyed the narrative.
-Doc

JRiepe Loc: Southern Illinois

Nice shots Paul. Walking the forest preserves in your area I saw what an insect attraction those milkweeds are attracting many species that I had never seen before.

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

Did not know that much about Milkweed. Thanks.